Tyan Computer GX21 - Manual (Page 61)

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Appendix
BIOS Setup
Installation
The BIOS is the basic input/output system, the firmware on
the motherboard that enables your hardware to interface with
your software. The BIOS determines what a computer can do
without accessing programs from a disk. The BIOS contains
all the code required to control the keyboard, display screen,
disk drives, serial communications, and a number of miscella-
neous functions. This chapter describes the various BIOS
settings that can be used to configure your system.
The BIOS section of this manual is subject to change without
notice and is provided for reference purposes only. The set-
tings and configurations of the BIOS are current at the time of
print and are subject to change, and therefore may not match
exactly what is displayed on screen.
This section describes the BIOS setup program. The setup
program lets you modify basic configuration settings. The set-
tings are then stored in a dedicated, battery-backed memory
(called NVRAM) that retains the information even when the
power is turned off.
This motherboard’s BIOS is a customized version of the
industry-standard BIOS for IBM PC AT-compatible personal
computers. The BIOS provides critical, low-level support for
the system’s central processing unit (CPU), memory, and I/O
subsystems.
This BIOS has been customized by adding important features
such as virus and password protection, power management,
and chipset “tuning” features that control the system. This
section will guide you through the process of configuring the
BIOS for your system setup.